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clay dubeDon't we already have enough to try to accomplish with our students?
Why should we work to incorporate East Asia into our crowded curriculum?
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The current series on the drop-out problem in LAUSD notes that there are serious issues meeting basic needs. What would you tell administrators and parents who might question why we should teach about East Asia.
By the way, here's a link to the LA Times series:
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-dropouts-series,0,7942897.special[Edit by="Clay Dube on Jan 30, 11:50:06 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI thought a lot about this question over the weekend. There has been a huge push by our school's literacy coach to include more multicultural literature into our curriculum. But, it seems at our school we still have a very limited view of what multicultural really means. Sadly, multiculturalism does not appear to include all cultures, but it focuses rather on the dominant cultures of the school. I learned this lesson quite strongly from some of my students just the other day.
As the Martin Luther King holiday approached, one of my students questioned, "So, we're not going to study Martin Luther King this year? Finally! We've studied him every year since elementary school. I'm getting sick of him." After he voiced his opinion, several other students chimed in about how repetitive their education had been, too. Several mentioned being tired of reading about Rosa Parks or Cesar Chavez each year--sometimes in multiple classes.
Is this what "multicultural" means? That we focus on the same leaders year after year? Certainly King, Parks, and Chavez are worthy role models and historical figures to study, but does that mean we have to hit students over the head with them year after year? The last thing I would want my students to think of those great leaders as is boring.
Then, I wondered where the East Asian multiculturalism was in our curriculum. I asked my students if they could name any great Asian leaders, authors, or books. None of my eleventh graders could. While many can tell you intricate details of the Holocaust, few knew about Japanese internment camps. As I looked around my classes, I noticed that out of 150 students, I have only three Asian students. 75% of my students are Hispanic, and 15% are African American. Why do they need to know about Asia?
First of all, teaching about Asia will lessen the repetitive nature of my students' education thus far. They will be learning something new and, hopefully, exciting when they learn that there are great leaders and role models outside of their cultures and the ones that are predominantly being taught in school. They won't feel that school is just the place you keep going to learn what you already know. Second, after seeing statistics of how much American business is affected by East Asia and vice versa, it is critical for my students in the Bilingual Business and Finance Academy to learn about Asia if they ever hope to fulfill their goals of being successful in international business. Third, teaching about Asia will broaden the definition of multiculturalism at my school and give students a more accurate view of the world.
I want my students to be well-rounded in what they know and be aware of cultures beyond just the scope of their own neighborhoods. And, although it may take time to infuse more Asian literature into our curriculum, I look forward to branching out beyond my own comfort zone and not just hiding behind the topics that are familiar and safe.
AnonymousTeaching three different levels of Spanish, I use not only the textbook, but also the web, the television, the newspaper and other people to bring the language to my students. Learning something new to bring to the class (just using a different language), adds to the variety and the fun.
Learning about Asia, provides not only the opportunity to acquire new vocabulary, tenses, verbs, regional issues, cultural conflicts, etc, but most importantly it supports their historical and geographical knowledge.
I am a believer that academic subjects need to be linked, and that integrating topics can make a class more dynamic.
To make this integration a success, I need to learn myself as much as possible to become proficient and be able to respond to any questions the students may start having as the lessons progress.
Why to bother? to have more fun.
AnonymousOne simple reason. It is what is best for our students.
For those of East Asian ancestry, learning about EA history, creates validation, helps with creating a strong self-image, and allows for a better understanding of their own community's role, in the past, present and future.
For others, it creates understanding of EA culture. It allows our students to see the commonalities and the great contributions EA culture has made to the modern world, throughout history, in economics, technology and philosophy. Looking at the 20th century students can also find commonalities in the struggle for equal rights and the devastation and displacement caused by wars.
Our students history is an interconnected World History. For them to have an understanding of the world today they need to have a balanced and diverse view of our past. Teaching about East Asia is one ingredient to this recipe.
After all,
All things by immortal power,
Near or Far,
Hiddenly,
To each other linked are,
That thou, cannot stir a flower,
Without it troubling a star.
Thompson.
[Edit by="aaguilar on Apr 20, 6:03:42 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousThe more we learn and the more we share with our students about the diversity of our world's societies and cultures, the better chance we have of living with tolerance and respect for each other.
My pen pal came over for dinner last night. He has recently returned from a 12 month deployment in Iraq. We met last December, just one week before he shipped out. I asked him if my students could write to him while he was there. He agreed, and he sent us newspapers and greetings during his time in Iraq. Last night he came for dinner and shared with us some of the stories of the people he met and how they are struggling to survive. The major theme seems to be a lack of understanding of cultural differences, from all sides involved. And the source of the violence stems from the same.
AnonymousI think that we should teach about East Asia in our classrooms because variety is one of the ingredients to preparing an exciting curriculum. As an art teacher I know that part of making excellent art is to have variety in the art work. In shaping my curriculum I learned real quickly that my students responded the best to new and different methods of creating art. The East Asian cultures have a lot of different ways of creating art and many think differently about art as well. For instance Chinese calligraphy is writing, but it's an art form as well. A lot of the images that we would consider art are sacred to some East Asian cultures.
On a different note I have found that many of my Asian students are very talented in the arts as well. It seems that some of them have fine motor skills in creating designs and shaping ceramic forms. I would like to see what they can do with the added motivation of an Asian theme in making their art forms.
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AnonymousThere are so many important answers to this question. The implication that narrowing the curriculum or the goals for our students will somehow lead to greater success for those we are failing is misguided. Our standards and course offerings for students should not be narrowed in order to improve our success rate and address the systemic problems discussed in the LA Times series. While some may mistakenly feel that we will achieve greater results if we try and do less, in reality this is not the case. Students will achieve more only if they are taught ideas and skills that have a contextual value to them. "Dumbing down" the curriculum will not serve anyone's interests. That having been said, LA schools and teachers must do a better job of addressing the needs of a very diverse and challenging student population. It is not easy, but the education of students in East Asia should actually be one key element in an appropriate and successful curriculum.
We must teach about East Asia in our classrooms because our students live in a global economy and will not lead successful lives if they are taught in an isolationist mode. We must teach about East Asia in our classrooms because some of the greatest work ever done in philosophy, religion, the arts, sciences and politics has been achieved in East Asia- leaving bodies of work of which no educated person should remain ignorant. We must teach about East Asia because many of our students are of Asian ancestry and should not be deprived of the experience of seeing their own histories and cultures studied, honored and understood in the classroom. We must teach about East Asia because we have much yet to learn about this part of the world and if we do not teach our children to study this region/people/history/reality then we will be excluding it from our own awareness. We must teach about East Asia so that our future can become what it might best be, using all available knowledge, experience and understanding to improve our individual and collective lives.
Anonymouspossibly as an attempt to demystify asia in this country?
doesn't asias influence go beyond economics and educational models
what about a history--
lausd and its large percentage of latinos--what does asia have to do with them?
lets share--latinos and native americans and blacks who may share asian blood
remember the railroads kids? runaway slaves, multicultural tribes, oh and remember the varied asian groups who traveled to latin america and in some cases gained poltical power...
havent asians too been in this country forever building it, serving it like so many other groups? don't they deserve a nod alongside cesar chavez and nat turner
what about that philosophy? those beautiful ancient words that have been reduced to fodder for fortune cookies and abercrombie and fitch t-shirts
okay so there may be a few reasons to teach this stuff to the kids of color
but what about the anglo kids what do they care? doesn't the world begin with western europe?
or does philosophy go beyond greeks and germans? are there models for warfare and warriors other than the roman ones. does poetry necessarily begin with homer? religion with zeus? art with davinci?
a truly non eurocentric approach should include our neighbors to the east, right?
shouldnt someone other than emerson thoreau or pound get credit for all that nature-inspired american literature at the turn of the century (last century)
there are roots lets trace them
so we teach this parents,
and then the questions in their heads--
so if we share a genealogy must we stop the stereotyping and the racist remarks
band together as people with some commonality somewhere?
something in common other than our love for coca-cola and mcdonalds
should not asias role in american history, culture, etc. be openly acknowledged,
embraced even.
shouldn't asia by now be an established part of the curriculum rather than a part of something we need to stretch ourselves to include (not gloss) maybe but only if we have some extra time somewhere.
i dont know could these be reasons for teaching asia?
AnonymousThe world, during the first two millennia, may have been dominated by Western/Christian cultural influences, but as we enter the third millenium, it seems that there is a significant shift toward Asian cultural influences. This phenomena is most obvious in the area of economic development but it also can be senn emerging in areas such as art, pop culture, science and education. It is also important to note that religious thought has historically originated in the East.
Our students cerainly need to be informed about world trends, and so it would be a mistake not to expose them to the richness of East Asian history and culture. While most educated Asians are well informed about the western world, this is not the case with most educated Westerners. One thing for sure, America's interaction with the Asian continent (Pacific Rim), and especially China, is destined to be much more significant than with the other continents, including Europe, as the new millennium unfolds. [Edit by="jashworth on Feb 23, 1:07:37 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousWhy shouldn't we study about Asia? I mean countries like China, Korea and Japan. After all, obviously, those countries are economically, technologically and philosophically advanced, not to mention their historical significance and large populations. If we want to know the truth about ourselves, we first need to learn about others (doesn't that sound like Chinese philosophy?).
The Asian culture is much different than that of the European. The Asian culture is strange and mysterious to many western people only because of people's lack of knowledge. I think many people in the U.S., for instance, think that Asian culture and history have nothing to do with their lives, therefore insignificant; especially many students in an urban school setting. Many of their families are too busy to cope with their own environment. I believe that teaching young students about something they have hardly encountered is worthwhile to them in many ways, especially while the eastern nation is becoming more dominant and the world seems to be getting smaller everyday.
By learning Asian culture and language, young people would develop more unique value orientation, perceptions, and connections to the world. To learn about something entirely foreign to anyone is such an exciting, inspiring, enrapturing and enlightening experience. In order to create our own culture with more diverse ideas and knowledge, Asian study should definitely be a national priority. I believe that teaching our students about the Asian culture would be a powerful tool to enrich our own nation with more diverse ideas and knowledge.
We, as teachers, have such wonderful opportunities to expose and respond to youngsteres' curiosities. Their curiosity is there, for example, when I start speaking Japanese to them without any warnings, my entire classroom becomes silent and all of their eyes suddenly become bright. It is also our privilege and obligation to deliver such fantastic experiences to them. So, why don't we study how to bring this to our classroom in the most effective way possible?
When I was in college, my father told me to study about China and its language (that was many, many years ago...). He said that I will become rich in mind if not in my wallet. I laughed about it and totally disregarded his suggestion, and now, I regret it.
AnonymousJulie wrote, “Is this what "multicultural" means? That we focus on the same leaders year after year?”
I agree with her completely. I had that experience as a student. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez joined George Washington, Lincoln, and others as part of the boring group that we learned about every single year. They certainly deserved to be with those icons but part of the problem was the way we learned about them.
To me, the reason we study anything to see how it connects to our lives. When I talk about Japan's isolation from the world, we talk about why humans want to isolate themselves, etc.
Also, East Asia is part of our world. We share a lot of similar historical patterns. We can learn a lot from each other.
Teaching about Asia shows us our similarities as human beings.
It also instills pride in students with an Asian background. It makes them feel connected to the class. I really like letting students be the experts.
AnonymousThe third reason for teaching about East Asia is because it's interesting and fun!
AnonymousWhy bother teaching about Asia?
First, being of Asian descent attending LAUSD for 3rd-12th grade, I have often asked as a student throughout my public education, “Where is Asia in my curriculum”?
Second, being an immigrant ESL student, my natural curiosity was “How much did other immigrant students know about their own cultural background, and did they face ‘assimilation’ or acculturation pressures from within or from others?”
Finally, while ‘Asia’ is taught in my curriculum in social studies, I have wondered over the years, are we approaching the subject in a singular way without enough interdisciplinary connections?
ESL is now ELL. LAUSD is soon to be AntonioVUSD. But all that aside, I have to thank many of the teachers who have led me on the path I am on today. While language acquisition was the key to the magic of endless learning and filled me with fear as an immigrant student, I also fondly remember the extra ‘help’ and kindness extended by the teachers at Alexandria, 3rd Street, and Toluca Lake Elementary Schools. With a majority of students being Spanish-speakers, all the teachers were obviously bilingual. This however, did not matter to me personally. Their use of varied methods of instruction brought to us the commonality of our human experiences through the learning of English.
But as I entered the secondary grades, and wondered after many years of teasing on “December 7th,” “buy America only” and the shape of my eyes, I began to ask myself, “was it the American’s ignorance of other cultures,” or “was it because of the lack of interest” that there was no Asia in the classroom?
Because I was born and lived in Japan for the first 9 years of my life, maybe I did not have to question my background as many of my American born friends. Luckily, I had other Asian-American friends as I got older, so I was not the sole expert in my circle of friends about Bruce Lee, ‘Oriental’ food, and the meaning of Mr. Miyagi in ‘Karate Kid.’
Assimilation to me was assimilation to my friends and the lifestyle of California, not just to ‘American Dream.’ Was I ‘Japanese’? Was I ‘Oriental’? Was I “Asian-American/Japanese-American’?....But after I took my citizenship test, don’t I have the privilege to be called just plain old “American”? What part of my culture is a birth ‘right’ and how much of it can I experience and learn away from my homeland.
Lastly, should social studies be the beacon in the teaching about ‘Asia’?! As a social studies teacher, my answer is ‘of course!’ However, I know about many of our short comings in LAUSD. Since foreign languages were a UC college requirement, my life in HS was 3 years of French. But I did not take the fourth year and the chance to pass the AP tests. If we had Chinese, Korean, or especially my own native language Japanese AP classes offered, would I have gone on to pursue a different path in life with stronger language skills? If in literature/English class, we moved away from the lonely Haiku lesson, did I read anything related to the Asian traditions? In music class, did we have anything related to Chinese New Year or Tet, because I know we did Jewish and Christian songs….Yes, the time before where teachers were ‘allowed’ to wear Santa Hats and decorate their room with religious icons…In math class…well, I’m Asian…so you know the stereotype….I think I succeeded not because of genetics , but because of my strong start in math back in Japan…Who needs English when you have numbers… While plenty of mathematicians were of European descent, the question was what about ‘Asia’? The current answer to that now is did someone say “Sudoku”?!
If you live in the Western world we call America, we do owe our origins to European descent. Shakespeare, the Bible, Greek philosophy…. As one of my Political Science professor explained, we live in a WJCGRAS (Western Judeo Christian Greco-Roman Anglo-Saxon) tradition. College also had Western Civilization as a graduation requirement, but why not Eastern Civilization? So ultimately, my life question once again was ‘Where is Asia in the curriculum?’
As a history teacher, we must always question the core canon knowledge in academic settings. If we teach Shakespeare every year in secondary education, what must be dropped or balanced to add more Asian literature in the curriculum? If we are to offer more coursework related to Asia, do we have the staff, the curriculum materials, or even the political will to change?.... :~
AnonymousI agree, we need to expand and update what we teach. There are is lot of required reading in English classes, events in history classes, even topics in math, that need to be reevaluated.
I carpool with an English teacher we are had an interesting discussion about the questions of "Should we teach Shakespeare to high school students?" While he valued Shakespeare he felt we should take it off the REQUIRED list and moved more to elective classes. It wasn’t just Shakespeare. He was even more interested in doing away with Great Expectations by Dickens. He basically argued for a curriculum that featured works of literature that were
+ more recently created.
+ diverse (not just racially, but intellectually)
+ connected the students lives or their near future.
It’s a tough sell to get experienced teachers to convert. Also, it will take a while for students to adjust. For example, he has his student read “Things Fall Apart,” which takes place in Nigeria. The Nigerian traditional culture is quite different from Western culture. That led students to often demonize the story’s protagonist.
I am curious how students will adapt to Confucian ideals compared to the Western ways they grew up on. Or, perhaps, Western culture-or American culture is not longer the dominant culture of our students. Perhaps, we need to work with, and expand on, their own cultural norms.
AnonymousText
When we look at what a melting pot the United States has evolved into, it is only logical to introduce to our students a global perspective on the world. For many, such as myself included, being of Asian descent, we are not taught the history the of our cultures; therefore creating the ethocentrism attitude of the West, which is being so readily taught in our schools.
The ethnocentrism of the West is an implecation of what is important for our students to know, not the history of other cultures. As part of Western's educational system in pre and post education, we are required to learn all aspects of U.S. history. Consequently this is all important as we are U.S. citizens, but also being part of a global society; it is critical to be educated in that perspective. For Asian-American students it also gives them a sense of belonging and pride to learn about the contributions of their culture as well as their history.
Students are aware of Japan's contribution to Pearl Harbor, so it is important for them to learn more about this culture, beyond Pearl Harbor.
